- "Bow to your new king."
- ―A tagline for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, referring to Skar King.
- "That's not Kong. That's something else."
- ―Ilene Andrews upon seeing the Skar King's mark.
Skar King[1] (スカーキング Sukā Kingu) or simply known as Skar, is one of the two main antagonists (alongside King Ghidorah) of the Monsterverse Franchise. He first served as one of the two main antagonists (Alongside with Shimo) of the 2024 sci-fi action crossover film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the fifth installment of the MonsterVerse franchise.
He was a sadistic and tyrannical orangutan/chimpanzee-like Titan who ruled over a clan of other simian-like Titans with an iron fist and was personally responsible for the deaths of countless other Titans.
No longer satisfied with simply having dominion over the Hollow Earth, he used the ice-based Titan Shimo, who he controls with a crystal that causes her pain, to unleash destruction upon the Surface World by triggering a new ice age.
Name[]
Skar King's name "Skar" translates into "cleft" or "mountain pass" in Old Norse and "wild" in Scottish English. His name was revealed through a post by the official Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Instagram account on November 29, 2023
Design[]
Development[]
Skar King was inspired by the villainous railroad conductor Shack from the 1973 film Emperor of the North Pole. According to Adam Wingard, the Skar King was created as a sort of "anti-Kong", an upscaled version of the worst parts of humanity, as opposed to the best parts that King Kong represents. Unlike most villains in the MonsterVerse, the Skar King's personality has a human aspect to it, one of tyranny, cruelty and other negative traits found in humans. This was intended to juxtapose the danger of humanity to monsters, as Wingard explained, "...the Skar King is, in a way, the closest that the human threat has ever been juxtaposed onto a titan itself". These traits were meant to make him scarier than other monsters, as he is consciously making the decision to perform cruel deeds
Appearance[]
The Skar King is a gigantic primate-based creature with an appearance quite similar to that of Kong, but with a slender, muscular, and elongated orangutan-like physique that is characterized by his lengthy arms and legs, a slight pronounced hunchback, and a small scar on his right brow. He has pale white skin, and his body is predominantly covered in thick, reddish fur, except for his face, scalp, chest, inner arms, hands and feet. Notably, his eyes emit a gentle, luminous blue glow, and he adorns his face and parts of his body in faded red war paint. The facial design and fur color of Skar king is based on the design of King Kong in the film " King Kong vs Godzilla" which was released in 1962 by Toho studios .
Roar[]
It is observed that the Skar King emits a deep, resonant roar that bears a resemblance to Kong's roar, albeit with a slightly lower pitch.
Personality[]
Skar King is a dangerously brutal, sadistic, ruthless, tyrannical and highly malevolent ruler who takes pleasure in mistreating other titans such as Suko and Shimo, relishing in their suffering.
One such example happens when he was prepared to harm Suko for failing to give convincing laughter at Kong's expense when the latter's caretaker intervened, to which Skar King responded by seemingly relenting by backing down until just moments later when he retaliated by callously kicking the caretaker into lava to his death - hence showcasing the depths of his inherent ruthlessness. He even extends his cruelty towards his wives and children, showing absolutely no regard for their well-being and sadistically flinging food at them just to instill fear and terror in their hearts. The novelization expands on his brutal and ruthless nature by revealing that he ultimately intended to ensure the elimination of any life that wasn't himself, and this was part of the reason he instigated the first ice age besides trying to conquer the surface, keeping this part of the plan secret from even his most loyal followers.
As such, he displays a twisted sense of humor. This was evident when he first met Kong, when Skar King made a mocking remark about King Kong's metal tooth. He was a savagely formidable warrior, he displayed intelligence when faced with a superior opponent; if that was the case then Skar King would often rely on Shimo to carry out eliminating his targets. This intelligence was also implied by his insisting in the novelization that only the male Great Apes accompany him in invading the surface while the females stay behind to tend to the younger apes, presumably as a means to replenish his army.
Origins[]
- "A powerful and ruthless ape, desperate to conquer the surface world, led his tribe into war against the one they called the monster who ate a star: Godzilla. The war with the apes nearly destroyed Godzilla, but after a great battle, he imprisoned the apes in a fiery realm on Hollow Earth. Their false king remains obsessed with reaching the surface. The Iwi called him the Skar King."
- ―Ilene Andrews explaining the Skar King's past.
The origins of Skar King are unknown, but it is presumed that he originates from a species different to Kong’s. However it is revealed by Dr. Ilene Andrew’s that in the ancient past, he craved power and disrupted the peace that existed in the earth as a whole by attempting to achieve world domination on the surface, presumably after having achieved it in the hollow earth on his own, enslaving millions of members from the Kong species of great apes to use them as his army. He also waged war on Godzilla and nearly killed him but the Titan managed to defeat him before imprisoning Skar King and the remaining members of his tribe deep in the Hollow Earth for millennia. In the cavern he captured and took control of an ancient ice-powered Titan, Shimo, against her will, by using a crystal that is presumed to be a part of her crystal spines, on the tail of a Warbat's spinal column as a whip. This is the same titan that started the last ice age before her capture.
He then spent an eternity waiting on his throne, slowly going insane and abusing and his fellow apes, forcing them to endlessly work without ceasing while commanding his subjects through fear, even raping and impregnating female great apes and fathering many children through many slaves. He would even kill and behead Great Apes if they failed him before placing several heads of them on stakes. At some point, even if any apes disobeyed him or made a mistake while working, Skar King would have his soldiers abuse them or likely have them killed and fed to Shimo.
History[]
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire[]
Years later in 2027, Skar King would later be freed due to a sinkhole accidentally created by Kong as he was hunting a pack of Wart Dogs. Seeing an opening to his cavernous prison, Skar King soon emerged, destroying Monarch Outpost 1 and killing all inside, though a single security camera remained intact to record a glimpse of him. He then sent his second-in-command One-Eye and two of his minions, alongside a young primate named Suko, to survey the area. The group would eventually encounter and attack Kong, who immediately fought back. Although he had managed to kill two of Skar King's henchmen and capture Suko, Kong was unable to stop One-Eye from returning to Skar King's stronghold.
Wanting to investigate further, Kong ordered Suko to bring him back where he came from. Suko reluctantly agreed, and after a lengthy journey, eventually brought Kong to Skar King's stronghold. There, Kong confronted a primate Titan guard who is abusing a primate Titan slave. Kong protects the slave by easily taking out the guard, despite Suko's warnings.
One-Eye alerted the Skar King, who emerged from his chamber and revealed himself to Kong as he knowed him as a threat to his goals as he is driven by ambition for Kong's throne in the Hollow Earth and wanted to expand their new empire to the surface world. Skar King mocked Kong's metal tooth, while his loyalists and slaves laughed with him, including a reluctant Suko. Skar King threatened Suko until his caretaker Gnarled Finger pleaded with the tyrant to spare Suko, with which he complied. However, mocking Kong's compassion, Skar King sadistically kicked Gnarled Finger into a lake of magma, sending him falling to his death as Suko watched helplessly. Enraged, Kong threatened the Skar King, who proceeded to battle him. The Skar King managed to gain the upper hand and nearly strangled Kong to submission with his Whipslash, but Kong broke free.
The Skar King then revealed Shimo, hiding behind a lavafall and used a crystal on the end of his Whipslash to control her into blasting her frost breath on Kong, giving him severe frostbite to his right hand. Kong escaped with assistance from Suko, but the Skar King ordered his henchmen led by One-Eye to pursue and kill them while he triumphed over Kong's battle axe as he searched centuries for the weapon that is capable of eliminating Godzilla, although they are killed by Kong and Suko thanks to the two using one of Kong's hunting traps to dispose of Skar King's minions, but One-Eye managed to survive.
Inside an Iwi temple, Andrews, Jia, Bernie Hayes, and Trapper uncovered a prophecy: Long ago, there was peace between the primates and the Titans, until Skar King decided to take over the surface world, and waged war against Godzilla's species in the process, though Godzilla succeeded in trapping Skar King and his tribe deep within the Hollow Earth. The prophecy also states that Jia would be the key to reawakening Mothra.
One-Eye located Kong and Suko in the temple of the Iwi and the portals leading to the surface world, prompting him to report to Skar King about the temple. Determined to restart his conquest, he gathered his army and Shimo so he could conquer the surface world and kill both Titans and humanity. As Skar King, Shimo, and his army prepare to invade the surface world, Trapper uses a pack of Vertacenes to distract Skar King and his army so that Godzilla, Kong, and a reborn Mothra can arrive to stop their invasion.
Godzilla, Kong, Mothra, Suko, and Monarch battle against Skar King, his tribe and Shimo in the Hollow Earth during an anti-gravity wave caused by two Iwi pyramids colliding. However, once gravity returns to normal, the Skar King flees through a portal with the other Titans in pursuit, although Mothra stays behind to save Monarch's HEAV from being destroyed.
The portal takes the Titans to Rio de Janeiro, where the Skar King orders Shimo to induce a second ice age before having her attack the city. Kong and Godzilla arrive and continue their battle. Godzilla holds off Shimo while Kong and the Skar King fight against the crystal when it breaks loose from his Whipslash. Suko arrives and uses Kong's axe to shatter the crystal.
Enraged, the Skar King attempts to strangle Suko for his betrayal, only for Kong to free Suko from the Skar King's grasp. Kong tosses the Skar King at Godzilla who promptly smacks him back with his tail. Now freed from the Skar King's control, Shimo uses her frost breath to freeze the Skar King solid before Kong grabs him. Skar King can only glare hatefully at Kong as he smashes him to the ground, shattering his body into pieces and finally ending Skar King's reign of terror for good while Godzilla reverses Shimo's machinations. With Skar King's death, Gnarled Finger and those whom Skar King had killed for having failed him in the past are avenged.
Afterwards, Kong adopts Suko as his son and has Shimo as his sidekick as she willingly follows Kong because of his compassion towards her. When the three return to the Hollow Earth, the primates, upon witnessing Kong, Suko and Shimo arrive at Skar King's stronghold and realizing Skar King is finally dead, triumphantly roared before accepting Kong as the new leader and king of their clan now that they are freed from Skar King's enslavement after everything that he did to them while Kong decides to rule in a more benevolent way than Skar King did, finally putting an end to the civil war between both of Kong and Godzilla's species for good, thus leaving Skar King's plans for conquest in vain.
Abilities[]
Intelligence[]
Skar King is shown to have human-like intelligence. His exceptional intelligence allows him to grasp the situation with remarkable acuity. He formulates a meticulous plan to subjugate Shimo, effectively restraining her using specially crafted bone chains. Utilizing a large crystal as a conduit, Skar King gains absolute control over Shimo, manipulating her actions to serve his purposes, including employing her in battles when he cannot secure victory himself. With keen observation, Skar King discerns King Kong's peculiarity of possessing a metallic tooth, recognizing it as an intriguing anomaly. Demonstrating his swift cognitive abilities, Skar King promptly deduces that it was Suko who brought King Kong to his cave, showcasing his astute intellect and keen deductive reasoning.
Agility[]
Like King Kong, the Skar King is shown to use his simian physiology to leap over long distances without issue. While Kong relies on his strength, the Skar King can utilize his speed in combat and in evading attacks. He can also dodge the swings from King Kong's axe, and Godzilla's enhanced atomic breath.
Strength and combat[]
Skar King was described as being a great warrior in the past, implying his strength may have diminished due to his old age. In a formidable clash, the Skar King bravely engages in combat with King Kong, but it becomes evident that King Kong's strength surpasses his own, leading the Skar King to rely on Shimo to defeat King Kong. Furthermore, during a tug-of-war with Godzilla for his whip, unfortunately the Skar King finds himself heavily overpowered as Godzilla swings him away after catching the whip in his jaws, proving that even though he was a formidable warrior despite his age, he was still not strong enough to compete with the King of monsters.
Durability[]
The Skar King possesses exceptional resilience in enduring a fierce and brutal confrontation with King Kong. Furthermore, he endures a powerful strike from King Kong's formidable B.E.A.S.T. Glove, albeit losing a tooth in the process, and withstand a charged shot from Godzilla's enhanced atomic breath, altough it was not a direct hit.
Weapon proficiency[]
The Skar King is capable of utilizing his Whipslash as a devastating weapon and as a tool to grab and throw other objects like a lasso. He has shown to be able to use this weapon with great skill. Additionally, he briefly manages to capture Kong's battle axe and wields it adeptly.
Subjugation[]
Through the crystal blade at the end of the Whipslash, the Skar King can control Shimo, manipulating her actions to serve his purposes, despite the latter showing momentary resistance.
Weaknesses[]
Weak physique[]
While incredibly strong, the Skar King's physique is inferior compared to that of King Kong, which makes him rely more on his cunning and fighting skills than brute strength. This possibly could've been caused by old age, as its heavily implied the Skar King is several millennia old.
Lack of bodily armor[]
Like the rest of his species, the Skar King's lack of bodily makes him very sligtly less durable than Titans such as Godzilla, as he needed to dodge Godzilla's atomic breath to not get hurt and slightly yelped in pain when he got hit by it on his back but endured it.
Shimo's Frost Blast[]
The Skar King was frozen completely solid by Shimo when his control over her broke after Suko destroyed the crystal controlling Shimo, leaving him completely vulnerable to King Kong killing and smashing him into pieces.
Weapon Dependancy
Without his whiplash, Skar King is almost useless without it.
Equipment[]
Skar King with his Whipslash
Whipslash[]
The Skar King wields a weapon called the Whipslash, a Titan’s spinal column connected to a mandible and adorned with a blue crystalline blade that's placed across his torso from the right shoulder downward like a sash. He briefly makes use of Kong's battle axe before it is recaptured by Kong.
Battle Axe[]
After their first battle, Skar King claimed Kong’s Axe for his own, only to lose it during their next fight.
Relationships[]
Godzilla[]
Skar King always hated Godzilla's ancestors and was a rival to them. While Godzilla despised Skar because he's responsible for the Titan civil war between both of their ancestors while he killed one of them with the battle axe made from a dorsal plate. Because of this, Godzilla trapped Skar in the Hollow Earth so he won't bring chaos to the surface again but Godzilla almost died at his hands, barely surviving. Godzilla then retrieved to the surface, as he was heavily injured. When Skar sees Godzilla for the first time, he shows both fear and anger, willing to get his revenge by killing him and King Kong. After the anti-gravity wore off, they find themselves in Brazil, where Skar misplaced his crystal after Godzilla broke it off so he could end his tyrannical reign by vaporizing the whip. After the crystal is destroyed, Godzilla requests Shimo to rebel on Skar. After that, he was frozen and killed by King Kong, and the civil war between both of their species over.
Kong[]
Skar King sees King Kong as a direct threat to his plans of conquest on Earth, though he isn't afraid to degrade him for his metal tooth, showing how little he takes him seriously. He isn't, however, afraid to get his hands dirty when dealing with him, as he views him just as easily disposable as the rest of his followers, such as when he sends out Shimo to strike him with her Frost Bite Blast.
Mothra[]
It's unknown if Skar and Mothra ever met before her countless demises, but all he sees in her is a slight threat to his plans, especially when she convinces Godzilla and King Kong to work together to stop the Skar king. Mothra trapped his army by sticking them with her silk.
Shimo[]
Shimo is the Skar King's unwilling slave, as he knows when she hesitates to carry out his orders, such as when she initially roars at him in defiance. This results in the Skar King disorienting her with the crystal on his whipslash until she does what she is commanded. As such, the Skar King views her as a pet. However, he has shown dependency on her, as during the final battle, he tried to go after the crystal after Godzilla broke his whipslash.
Great Ape followers[]
Skar King has an army of Great Apes who willingly follow his orders, such as they painted red marks on their chest, arms and faces. Despite his minions following his orders, Skar King never cares about them as he only sees them as tools that he can use to bring terror to his subjects and he doesn't care if they die in the process.
Unnamed mates and offspring[]
The presence of terrified females with fur matching of his own that was kept under his guard heavily implies that Skar King has kept his harem by force to sire the offsprings for him.
When Suko doesn't join the laughter along with him because Kong has a metal tooth, Skar King sadistically kicks Suko's caretaker into a lava pit, forcing the little ape Titan to watch his friend being burned alive.
Trivia[]
- Skar King is the third main villain in the MonsterVerse to be an original Titan, the first being the MUTOs, and the second being the Skull Devil.
- Skar King is the first ape kaiju to be of a different type of animal other than gorillas.
- It is also implied that Skar King appears to be chimeric as he combines aspects of apes, such as the head structure of a chimpanzee and the arms, legs, fur color, and body structure of an orangutan.
- Skar King is the first ape Titan to fight Kong in the MonsterVerse. It also marks Skar King as the first ape monster King Kong has fought in a live-action film.
- In Skar King's throne room, several female apes holding red or orange-furred infants can be seen. This strongly implies the Skar King reproduced with these females and that Suko might be one of his biological children. This was confirmed in the novelization and confirmed all his children are from non-consensual relationships.
- The Skar King's aggressive behavior is a nod to real-life chimpanzees' nature of being aggressive hunters.
- The initial marketing for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire implies that the red hand prints seen in Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong are Skar King's. In the movie, the red handprints are used as a sign of warning to others that he intends to conquer the world once more.
- It was theorized that Skar King was the one who sent the Skull Crawlers to Skull Island to kill the Great Apes that escaped from his lair and migrated into Skull Island. If it were true, then Kong succeeds in killing the true culprit who not only indirectly massacred his tribe, but also his parents.
- Skar is shown to have similarities with Ghidorah, as they both wanted to proclaim themselves as the alpha Titans, both enslaved other Titans, including Rodan and Shimo, to act like their enforcers, and both met their match with Mothra, and both became primary archenemies to Kong and Godzilla and both perish into pieces. While Ghidorah is an alien who came to Earth to make it his territory, Skar King is a native of Hollow Earth who wants to conquer the surface world. Wingard stated this was intentional, as he envisioned Skar as Kong's arch-nemesis in the same sense that King Ghidorah was Godzilla's arch-nemesis.
- Skar King served as an evil and darker counterpart to Kong, as both are apes and are also 2 of the Alpha Titans. Kong suffers from loneliness as he desired to find more of his kind after his parents' death and shows compassion to the apes after finding the whole colony, while Skar King shows no care to his fellow apes (even to his loyal servants) and is being abusive and tyrannical towards them. Kong teams up with Godzilla to fight the bigger threats as an ally, while Skar King uses Shimo as his enforcer and attack dog to do his dirty work when the fight doesn't go his way. Kong doesn't seek dominance, while Skar King desired to conquer the surface world. If Kong didn't desire to find more of his kind and instead desires the conquest, he would've become like Skar King.
- It's also said that Kong represents the best side of humanity, while Skar King represents the worst side of humanity
- In addition to Kong, the Skar King is also serve as a dark reflection of Godzilla, both being ancient Titans who fought wars extensively and both are extremely wise and intelligent creatures with supreme leadership capabilities. But while Skar King is a ruthless dictator and does not care for any destruction he causes, Godzilla is compassionate and seeks to liberate the world of tyrants such as Ghidorah and Skar himself. If Godzilla didn't learn to form relationships and find compassion in his heart, he would have ended up like Skar King.
- Ironically, Skar King and Ghidorah are Pure Evil, while their archenemies, Godzilla and Kong, are Inconsistently Admirable.
- Skar King has the distinction of being the only known Titan without a scientific name. This is due to humanity on the surface being unaware of his existence.
- Unlike Kong or Suko, Skar King doesn't beat his chest. This is accurate, because in real life, unlike gorillas, chest-beating isn't a typical characteristic for orangutans.
- Skar King might be a Jungle Book reference
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- ↑ godzillaxkong (29 November 2023). "Bow to your new king. #SkarKing #GodzillaXKong". Instagram.